Iron Rose
by EeveeMaster101
Summary: Gajeel and Levy. Complete opposites, like night and day, but just as complementary of each other. By some twist of fate, these two end up together. But when life throws curves, can they stay together? Will they be able to overcome the things holding them back-both externally and internally? GaLe; Gajevy; Gajeel and Levy. FIRST FIC. BTW: I don't own Fairy Tail *ON HIATUS**
1. Chapter 1

**AN ~ Hey y'all! Eevee here, and I just wanted to thank you for reading (if anyone is). This is my first fic, so it's probably really trash. Now, funny story...the timeline, I'm fairly sure, isn't cannon. See, I wrote this before I saw Gajeel get Lily, and I know that I'm waaaaaaaay behind on things, so think of this as an AU maybe? I don't know. This is just my take on things. Please review! Thanks, hope y'all enjoy!**

Gajeel Redfox walked briskly through the grand double doors of the guild hall. His usual black overcoat was missing and in its place were black combat pants and a black vest. He strode down the aisle between the rows of tables that sat the various other guild members, his stride long and proud. His crimson eyes, full of anticipation, were burning a hole through the job board. As he got closer to his destination he searched the board, his eyes swept over the numerous requests tacked to the smooth wood. They stopped their search as they rested over a blank spot where a request was formerly posted. The anticipation turned into annoyance as he slammed a fist into the board. _Damn it_ , he thought. _That job was the easiest thing in the world. When I get my hands on whoever took it I'm gon-_

"Hey Levy! Find a good job?"

Gajeel's thoughts were interrupted as he spun around to see Levy McGarden sitting at a table reading a book. Her short blue hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, held in place by an orange and yellow headband. The headband matched the color of her orange strapless dress. A big white bow attached to the front of the dress wrapped around her neck, holding the dress in place. Her arms bore sleeves up to her shoulders, also that same vibrant orange as the dress and headband. A pair of red-framed reading glasses rested daintily on the tip of her nose. Her golden-brown eyes stared out intently from behind the lenses, absorbing the information from the book with laser focus. Gajeel had to admit, she looked kinda cute like that. But of course he would never tell anyone else that.

"Levy, hey, you in there?"

Gajeel shifted his gaze from the tiny mage to the two men standing over her. Gajeel rolled his eyes. It was the two knuckleheads from Shadow Gear, the ones that followed Levy around everywhere and were always very protective of her. Levy looked up from her book and smiled upon seeing her two friends.

"Hey Jet! Hey Droy!" she said. She set her glasses down on the table beside her thick book. "Do you guys need something?"

"Yeah, we wanted to know if you had found a good job yet," Jet said. Droy nodded his affirmation.

"I did find one. Take a look."

Gajeel's ears perked up at this and he casually slid into a chair at a table two down from hers. Levy lifted up her book and pulled a sheet out from under it, waving it in front of Jet and Droy. "It's a complaint from a town about two hours travel to the south. A minor dark guild broke into a local trading guild and stole all their jewels. So they want us to go get it back." Jet's and Droy's eyes lit up and smiles crept onto their faces.

"All right!" Jet said, pumping his fist. "Let's go kick some butt!" Droy simply smiled and made a fist.

"Great," Levy said, also smiling. "Meet me at the train station in half an hour." She waved to the two as they made their way towards the door, then went right back to her book. Gajeel stood up and walked over to Levy's table.

"You take the job from that trading guild down south?" he asked gruffly, arms crossed. This caused the little mage to squeak and sent a chill down her spine. She could recognize that voice anywhere. And she was scared. It had only been about five months since Gajeel's acceptance into the guild and while others had begun to count him among their own, she did not. It was not like Levy to hold a grudge, but she just couldn't manage to forget the terrible things that Gajeel did to Shadow Gear that day. She still had nightmares about it. Even after he saved her from Laxus, she still did not trust him fully. She could not trust him fully. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't. And it seemed that he understood this too and took care to avoid her. But this sudden appearance and question were almost too much for her. She forced herself to turn around and face him. Being as small as she was, combined with the fact that she was sitting down, she came face to face with his thighs. Her eyes slowly climbed his body, taking it in as they did so. His strong arms were crossed over his muscular chest, their piercings reflecting the light from the hall. The brown gloves that he usually wore were replaced by black ones of the same design. His crimson eyes were staring at her from his rugged face, which was also covered in piercings. His long black hair, which reminded Levy of a horse's mane, stretched all the way down to his waist, jutting out from certain places to give it a spiky appearance. He was already frightening, and his looks just added onto that fact.

"Oi, I asked you a question," Gajeel's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Oh, um, yeah...I did. Did you have your eyes on it? I'm so sorry. You can take it if you want…" Levy trailed off. She didn't want any more trouble with the dragonslayer, and she certainly didn't want to be the one that stole his job.

"Nah. Keep it, Shrimp. It's an easy one anyway. Just be careful," he said as he turned on his heel.

He made for the bar when Levy suddenly said, "Thank you, Gajeel. I will."

Gajeel didn't miss a stride and simply grunted in response. To be quite honest, Levy was caught by surprise. She had expected him to be furious, and if not at least annoyed. But he was right, it was an easy job, and he probably wouldn't miss it. She simply went back to her book, trying to finish the chapter before she had to leave.

Gajeel felt weird. Very weird. It probably had something to do with the fact that he had just walked up to Levy and said something positive and caring to her. Maybe it was because he had turned down the job. But no matter what it was, he felt different. His chest was warm and he wasn't the least bit annoyed that his job had been taken. As he sat himself down in a barstool, he couldn't help but steal a glance at the short mage sitting at her table. _Damn she's cute..._ He quickly shook the thought from his head. He was Gajeel Redfox, Iron Dragon Slayer, and he didn't need to concern himself with someone as weak and unimportant as Levy. He sighed to himself and asked Mira for a drink. He needed a new job.

Levy closed her book and took off her reading glasses. She looked at the large clock on the wall above the bar. She sighed; she was late. She slipped the book into an orange drawstring bag that was sitting beside her and hurried left the hall, muttering to herself about being late.

Magnolia's train station was usually a very busy place, but today it didn't seem to be all that busy. There was hardly a line at the ticket offices, and within five minutes she was walking toward her platform, ticket in hand. As she passed by one of the boarding platforms, she saw Gajeel standing with his back against one of the grand pillars that held up the roof. His eyes were cast down and moving back and forth. Levy's eyes widened and she quickly ran to find Jet and Droy and their train. She ran past three terminals until she found the two of them, standing impatiently at the platform. Upon seeing her, they rushed to her side, all the while asking if she was okay and if someone had done something to her. Levy giggled and brushed them off.

"I'm fine guys. I was just reading."

Jet and Droy stopped their questioning and smiled at each other. Typical Levy. The trio that was Shadow Gear sat down on the benches and waited for the train.

Gajeel tapped his foot impatiently as he tipped back his head and let out a loud groan. He had been waiting for half an hour and the train still hadn't arrived. He was bored. He leveled his head and was about to go check the schedule again when his sharp eyes caught a streak of blue across the station. _Was that...Levy?_ Gajeel shook off the possibility as he realized that he was being ridiculous. How could that be Levy? There were lots of people in Magnolia; while blue wasn't exactly the most common hair color, it was by no means exclusive to Levy. Gajeel realized that his thoughts went straight to Levy. Why was that? He let the question float about in his mind, searching for an answer. He assumed that it was out of guilt. That had been happening to him a lot lately. He had thought that he had seen her numerous times over the past three months, and he knew that that was because he felt guilty. Guilt was making him see things, giving him nightmares, and no matter how hard he tried to escape it it was always there. Every time he saw Levy, Jet, and Droy he felt like a monster. Why did they accept him into their guild after he did everything in his power to destroy it? How could they forgive him after he beat Shadow Gear within an inch of death and left them hanging from that tree? Were they mocking him? Or did they really care about him? Gajeel knew that he was sorry and had done everything to prove it. That day when Shadow Gear followed him, he knew they were there. He could have just turned into an alley and slipped away, but he let them corner him and take out their anger on him. And when Laxus showed up and tried to hurt Levy, Gajeel took the blow without so much as a grunt. He had later helped the guild defeat Laxus when he went rogue, thus proving to many that he really was Fairy Tail material. Most people in the guild had begun to accept him. They didn't make an effort to get to know him, but they stopped avoiding him and glaring at him. Gajeel was okay with this; he wasn't in this to make friends, after all. But he certainly wanted to be treated as an equal, and now he felt like he finally was. He knew who trusted him and who didn't, and he knew that Levy still didn't have any trust in him. People had begun to talk to him at some point and had told him things about Levy. How she was emotionally the strongest person they had ever known. How no matter what she wouldn't ever give up. How she always greeted everyone with a bright smile. How she never stayed angry at anyone for more than a short while. Gajeel heard all this, but also heard whispers. How she was different after that night on the tree. How she spent more time in her apartment. How she was no longer seen without Jet and Droy. How she was more easily frightened by heavy footsteps and grinding metal. Gajeel knew that was because of him. And he felt terrible. Every time he looked at her, his eyes instinctively drifted to her midriff. He couldn't help but wonder if that mark was still there, haunting her. Gajeel nearly jumped out of his skin as he was pulled down to earth by a loud whistle. His train had arrived.

 **AN ~ Thoughts? Reviews! Thanks a ton :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN ~ Hey, Eevee here! Another chapter coming at y'all. I've got, like, 8 or 9 chapters all typed up, but they still need to be proofread and tweaked and so on.** **So, expect more in the near future! Enjoy! Forgot to put this in the last chapter, but, as I'm sure you've guessed...I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL!**

 **Shout-out to Emeraldwolf227 for the first ever follow, fav, and review, and to xxJessie97xx for the follow. Thanks a million you two :)**

Levy looked out the window of her train car at the wooded meadow as they sped by. The tall pines and grass were blurred together as they whipped in the wind caused by the train's passing. Levy sighed and wished that she could stop and take the time to enjoy the countryside; her mind drifted to fantasies of her sprawled out on a blanket, book in hand, under the shade of the majestic pines, the grass waving in the wind. But now wasn't the time to think about things like that; she had a job to do. She shifted her gaze from the outside to Jet and Droy, who were sleeping on each other's shoulders. A smile found its way to her face and she settled into her seat herself, letting her thoughts drift. Her mind wandered back to the job, and how easy for them it was going to be. After all, it was only a dark guild of about five people and, being Fairy Tail wizards, then knew that they were going to win. An image of Gajeel suddenly flashed into her mind. For a second, she had no idea where the image came from, but she soon remembered how Gajeel had approached her earlier that morning when she had accepted the job. Something about that encounter struck her as odd. Well, obviously the whole thing was odd, seeing as he had refused her offer to take the job and told her to be careful. But she thought that there was something else, something hidden deep within Gajeel, that perhaps even he wasn't willing to admit, that had caused him to do and say what he did. She shook herself free of these thoughts. _Impossible,_ she thought. _He's Gajeel, the same one who beat us and hung us on a tree and left us to rot. And he..._ her thoughts dropped off as she subconsciously moved her hand under her shirt and touched her stomach. It was still there. The ink and most of the blood had been washed off, but the scars remained. It would always be there, and even though it had physically improved it would always remain as obvious and powerful as the day it was first put there. She shuddered and pulled back her hand. Levy could feel the train quickly slowing and soon Jet and Droy were pulled out of their sleep by a loud whistle. They stepped off the train. Their job awaited them.

Gajeel stepped off the train and onto the platform, his boots making a heavy sound with every step. As he made his way to the front gates, people stepped out of his way and averted their eyes. While Gajeel had quit being the bad guy, he still liked it when he scared people. Especially when navigating through crowds. Since he was taller than the average person, he could be spotted from far enough away to allow someone to get out of his way. Gajeel's eyes met those of a young mage from another guild to find them filled with fear. Gajeel simply smirked and kept walking. He made his way to the large directory at the middle of the station. It was a large map of the town and the surrounding areas under the town's jurisdiction. Above the map the name of the town, Sisailen, was carved in large Romanesque letters. Gajeel begin to search the map for a certain shop. When he was at the bar after having Levy steal his job, he asked Mira if she knew of any good opportunities. She had smiled mischievously and slipped him another request from the same town. Apparently, a local smith needed an assistant for the day who was skilled in the use of metals. And while it was not the epic battle job that he had lost, Gajeel did enjoy working his iron and had much experience doing so. Therefore he accepted the job; after all, he needed the money. His eyes swept over the map, finally coming to rest on what appeared to be a market. He looked at the map's key and found the smith's shop to be in that marketplace. With a satisfied grunt, he turned sharply on his heel and headed to the center of the town to find this smith.

Levy, Jet, and Droy made their way through the crowds at the station. After much pushing and many more apologies, they walked through the exit terminal and stepped into the light. The trio made their way to the town hall where they mayor was eagerly waiting. She was a small elderly woman, perhaps in her late sixties. A mass of white hair stood on top of her wrinkled head, sharply contrasting her light pink sweater and long skirt. She smiled as she recognized the symbol stamped on Shadow Gear as they walked over to her.

"You must be the mayor," said Levy. "How do you do ma'am? I'm Levy, and this is Jet and Droy."

The mayor smiled.

"I'm just fine, thank you." Her smile faded. "As I'm sure you know, a local trading guild was robbed by a notorious dark guild. While normally this would be a guild issue, I'm asking for your help because that was the only trading guild in town and therefore everyone put their funds there, including us."

Levy nodded considerately and was about to speak when Jet stepped forward and asked,

"Where are they? We'll hand it to 'em! Isn't that right, Droy?" Droy pumped his fist and nodded in agreement. The mayor's smile returned.

"The local guard tracked them to a cave just outside of town, to the south. Best of luck wizards!" With that the trio left the town hall and made their way to the marketplace. Jet and Droy claimed they needed a bite to eat before their fight; after all, who can kick butt on an empty stomach? So this left Levy free to explore the market for a while. She browsed the numerous stalls selling food before she knew it she was in the artisan section. There were jewelers, carpenters, tailors, and artists of every kind. There were potters, painters, and sculptors. Everywhere she looked there was someone making and selling something. She smiled and she wandered through the crowd until a jeweler's stand caught her eye. She walked over to it, inspecting the many rings, earrings, and necklaces that were on display. They were breathtaking, with not a single mistake in their design; even the smallest of details were perfect. Something caught her eye, however, its perfection seemingly standing out amongst the rest. The vendor walked over, wearing a faded dark grey robe over a dirty white shirt tucked into ash grey pants. His face and hands were covered in soot.

"See anything you like?" he asked.

Levy looked up, a bit startled.

"Yes, actually, I'd like that ring please." She pointed to the object that had caught her eye.

The vendor smiled and took it out of the glass cage, being ever so careful so as to not damage it. He handed it to her. Levy looked at it intently. The ring's design was a dragon eating its own tail, thus forming the ring. The dragon's head was sculpted perfectly, with its frills shining brightly in the sunlight. Its teeth were just as sharp, Levy was sure, as a real dragon's, although she had never, and never intended to, feel a real dragon's teeth. In its eyes were set two tiny rubies that burned so bright she thought the thing was alive. She smiled and slid it onto her finger; it fit perfectly.

"It's so beautiful; I'll take it! How much?"

The vendor smiled and shrugged.

"Why don't you ask the one who made it?"

Levy seemed confused.

"You didn't make this? But this is you stand, isn't it?"

"Sure is, but I had some help today because my apprentice had some family matters to attend to. In fact, everything I have on display is his work."

The smith turned around and yelled to someone, "Hey, this young lady would like to know how much your dragon ring costs."

Levy heard some metallic clangs and a large figure emerged, dressed in all black with a black apron over his front. Levy froze.

"G-Gajeel? What are you doing here?"

Gajeel looked up in surprise and replied, "Oh, Shrimp. I asked Mira if she had anything for me and she said that this guy needed some help. So I'm here making jewelry for him."

Gajeel noticed the ring in her hand and smirked.

"You want that, Shrimp?" Levy managed a small nod. "Then take it. I can make more." Levy's eyes widened in shock.

"A-Are you s-sure? It looks kind of hard to make and…"

"I said take it," Gajeel said, "Unless you don't want it."

Levy shook her head and said, "I do want it. Thank you Gajeel."

With that, she took off to find Jet and Droy.

Jet and Droy were sitting on a bench in a resting area in the middle of the market, their feet lost amongst a sea of bags, all full of various supplies. Levy smiled upon seeing this, her face brightening. She walked over to them and sat down and began discussing the plan for the mission. When they had finished their scheming, they stood up to leave when a small lock of Levy's hair fell into her eyes. She reached a hand up to brush it out of the way when a ray of sunlight caught the metal beast that ensnared her finger, illuminating its ruby eyes. The light reflected off the tiny ring and into Jet's eye, like a real dragon breathing fire. Jet blinked.

"Hey Levy, what's that on your finger?"

Levy moved her hand away from her face and held it up for Jet to see.

"It's a ring. I got it from one of the local vendors," she replied. Jet stared intently at it.

"Is it...a dragon?"

Levy smiled. "Yep! Pretty cool, right?"

Now it was Jet's turn to smile.

"Sure is! How much did that cost you?"

"Nothing. The guy who made it gave it to me for free. He said that he could always make more."

"Nice. Well, if we expect to make it back by nightfall, we'd better get going."

Droy ambled over to the group, the contents of the numerous bags now confined to one large bag slung over his back. He simply nodded and the trio set off.

Gajeel dragged an arm across his forehead, wiping the sweat off his brow. It was relatively cool out, especially for late summer, but the forge was giving off an impressive amount of heat. He stared intently at the mold, making sure to pour in just the right amount of iron. When he was satisfied, he took the mold away from the forge, deciding to place it under the counter of the stall to cool while he worked on other products.

Before he could set the mold down, the vendor came up to him and said, "Hey there! Nice work so far. I just got a call from my apprentice. Looks like he'll be needing tomorrow off as well. Would you mind staying another day? I'll pay you double the original amount."

Gajeel grunted. "Sure, if you need me."

The vendor smiled. "Great." His eyes drifted to the mold and he smiled. "Making another ring there, son?"

Gajeel simply grunted. The vendor let out a chuckle.

"That was mighty kind what you did for your friend there, giving her that ring. That could've been sold at over a million jewels, ya know. Only someone stupid would do something like that." Gajeel was starting to get angry and decided to set the mold down before he threw it at the vendor. As he bent down to put it out of the way, a devilish smile spread across the vendor's face. "Someone stupid," he repeated slowly, "or someone in love." Gajeel's eyes widened and he stood straight up to face the man except for the fact that his head was under the counter and all that became of his sudden jolt was a loud thump and a few expletives. The vendor laughed as Gajeel drew his head out from under the counter, rubbing the spot where he made contact with the wood. He stood up straight and glared at the vendor.

"I'm not in love with her," he said, annoyance evident in his voice. "She's just a guildmate who wanted something from another guildmate."

The vendor simply nodded as Gajeel tromped back to the forge. Even though Gajeel's words seemed perfectly believable, the slight bit of pink on the tip of his nose and ears was enough to betray him.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Fairy Tail!**

Levy took point as she crept down the path. Jet and Droy were walking next to each other right behind her. The tree canopies made a curtain of dark green against the bright midday sun. They weren't following a footpath; the mayor had told them simply to head west, so west they went. The trio made their way through the thicket, footsteps audibly distinguishable; Levy's light and soft, Jet's and Droy's hefty and clamorous. Levy suddenly held up a hand, and they stopped.

"Jet, Droy, look," she extended a finger. The two men followed her gaze and saw a cave mouth approximately two hundred yards away.

Jet and Droy looked at each other, smiled, and Jet said, "Okay Levy, let's go!" He used his high speed magic and took off running, Levy and Droy following as fast as they could. They reached the mouth of the cave and Levy used her solid script magic.

"Torch." She spelled out the word and there it was, a torch, floating in front of her. She grabbed hold of it and again took point as Shadow Gear made its way deeper into the cave. The path went on for some time, the entire duration of their travel was spent moving downhill along the mossy walls. As the floor leveled out, they were met by a large open chamber. In the middle of this chamber was a small fire, surrounded by ten unsavory-looking men. When the trio entered crossed the threshold of the chamber, all ten pairs of eyes were on them. For a split second, there was silence. One of the men stood up and cast a spell, a simple fire spell that was aimed at Droy. Then there was chaos. Dory used his plant magic to deflect the projectile and Jet leaped into action, acting as a target and distracting the dark mages so that Levy and Droy could get a clear shot. Levy, torch in hand, began making arrows appear and slinging them at her enemies. The dark mages were quick to attack, too, hurling fire or ice or lightning bolts at Shadow Gear. The battle raged on, and it looked as if Fairy Tail would emerge victorious; Levy had rendered two men unable to fight and Droy had killed another, whilst the remaining men were still attempting to stop Jet. And then Jet tripped. He soared through to air and crashed face first into the rock floor, scraping his entire body in the process and hitting his head on the wall. This let some of the remaining seven mages focus their attention on Droy and Levy, who were completely unprepared. Droy was hit three times and knocked unconscious. And then there was Levy. She was petrified with fear, her hands shaking. The men circled around her and looked at her with a hunger in their eyes that she had never before seen. She dropped the torch as her legs turned to jelly and she fell to her knees. She heard footsteps behind her, and then everything was black.

Gajeel dropped the rag into the bucket of dark water as the smith wiped his hands on his apron. They had finished a very successful day and were cleaning the stall in preparation tomorrow's crowd. Gajeel picked up the bucket and placed it back under the counter, next to his mold. Since he had let it sit all day, he picked it up and brought it back to the forge. With the mold in one hand, he jerked his thumb at the forge and asked the vendor,

"Mind if I use the forge to finish up this ring?"

The vendor smiled and nodded. "Of course, just make sure to close up shop when you're done." Gajeel grunted his thanks and sat down on the stool before the mighty stone contraption. It was dark now, and the bright warm glow of the forgefire beat back the cool summer breeze that flowed lazily through the air. Gajeel opened the mold and carefully extracted the ring, taking great care not to damage it. He produced a small soldering iron, but instead of soldering, he simply melted off the tiny bits of excess metal. He then took a superheated needle and carved the design into the ring by hand, like he was drawing on a piece of paper. Finally, he took two tiny rubies from the gem box and set them in the empty sockets of the circular beast. Once the ring had cooled, Gajeel held it up to the moonlight to examine his work. He smirked in satisfaction and slipped the ring into his pocket. Standing up, he yawned and stretched his arms. He put out the fires and locked up the material boxes. He walked around to the front of the stall and proceeded down the path. Gajeel noticed that he was the only one out; it was very late, after all. His mind drifted to Shadow Gear and their job, and then he was hit with a sinking feeling. They had left early that morning. And he hadn't seen them come back. He quickened his step and instead of going to an inn he went straight to the mayor's office. He flew up the steps and rapped the door three times. There was a brief pause before the door creaked open. It was one of the security guards.

"What in Fiore brings you here at this hour? State your business," said the guard.

Gajeel smirked. He opened up the door all the way, startling the guard. He reached for his sword but stopped as he took in Gajeel. His eyes widened as Gajeel lowered his shoulder so the man could his Fairy Tail guild mark, and he might have flexed just to increase the effect. The guard looked from Gajeel's arm to his eyes to his arm and back again.

"I wish to speak with the mayor," Gajeel said smoothly. The guard managed a nod and continued to gape at Gajeel as he shoved the guard aside and proceeded to the mayor's bedroom. He knocked sharply and impatiently tapped his foot as he waited. His Dragonslayer hearing picked up some hushed dialogue inside between a groggy mayor and frightened guard.

"Who is it?""I don't know, ma'am, but it most certainly isn't one of the guard."

"Is it a murderer?"

"Perhaps, ma'am. I will go see."

Gajeel smirked, rolled his eyes, and said, "I am Gajeel Redfox, Iron Dragonslayer of Fairy Tail. Have my guildmates returned?"

Silence. Then, "Mr. Redfox, I am sorry, but your friends have not yet returned to me for their reward. Do you suspect they are in danger?"

Gajeel growled and said, "Hell yeah, they're in danger! It's been all day and they haven't come back from a simple job! Where did they go?"

There was a pause, then shuffled footsteps, then a click and the mayor's head popped out from behind the door.

"They went that way," she pointed, "about ten hours ago. I hope they are alright."

Gajeel glared at her and simply said, "For both our sakes, so do I." He then turned on his heel and ran out of the house and toward Shadow Gear and Levy.

Levy groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She realized that she was laying on her side near a campfire. She could make out figures sitting by the fire, and she quickly remembered where she was. She tried to sit up but her hands and legs were bound. She instead moved her head around searching for Jet and Droy. They were on the opposite end of the fire, both bound and still unconscious. She then turned her attention back to the campfire when she caught the eye of one of the men sitting there.

He smiled a cruel smile and said, "Looky at who's awake boys: Sleeping Beauty." There was a menacing chuckle from the group and they all turned to look at her. Levy suddenly felt very small. Well, she was already small, but now she felt even smaller. The men stood up and made their way over to her. There were about seven of them in number and they all wore an identical black robe with a skull painted on the front. The one who spoke before was at the front of the group.

He said, "You know, you've been a very bad girl." The other men giggled and nodded in agreement.

"I think that we should punish you. But not physically, no, we wouldn't want to damage that beautiful body of yours." He reached down and grabbed the front of Levy's dress. He put his face close to Levy's and she could smell blood, smoke, and that ever-present odor of death. He reeked of it.

"I think that you would do better with a, different, kind of punishment, hm? Don't you?" His face suddenly twisted and a snarl formed where his evil grin had once been. He jerked back his hand, trying to take with him Levy's dress but only ripping it a bit, not even up to her chest. Levy squealed and turned away from him, her eyes closed. She knew what was coming next, and she did not like it. She was whimpering as tears made their way through her eyelids. The man stood up, the piece of dress still in his fist.

"Take off the rest." She tensed up her whole body in preparation for the horrors she was about to endure when suddenly she heard a metallic clang and then a thud. She opened one eye and saw the lifeless body of one of the dark mages lying next to her. She whipped her head around to see who her savior was, but her view was blocked the remaining six men. She heard the man who had ripped her dress screaming insults, and then she heard a laugh. A laugh that she could place anywhere. A laugh that she learned to fear. It was a shrill "gihihihihihi" and it rang throughout the cavern. It was Gajeel's laugh, and that meant that Gajeel was here. The next thing she knew, Gajeel had easily dispatched of the five men and then turned to the man who had ripped Levy's dress. He shot out an iron-clad hand and grabbed the man around his neck and was about to strangle him when he saw Levy, lying there, with her dress ripped. He was staring at her exposed midriff, where there was a faint mark. A mark that Gajeel knew all too well. A mark that he had put there. He released the pressure on the man's throat, but kept him in a firm grasp. He looked at Levy's eyes and saw them filled with the same fear that they had shown when he hung her on that tree. But she also noticed something in those eyes of Gajeel's, and that was realization. He had realized that no one had ripped her clothes since he had attacked her. And that scared him. He realized that he was no better than the very man he was trying to strangle, and that if he did indeed strangle him then he would be even worse. He looked away from Levy and back at the man.

He stared him down with the most intimidating glare that he could muster up and said, "She saved your sorry ass," he said, jerking a thumb at Levy. "Don't make me regret it even more than I already do." The man's eyes widened as Gajeel slammed him into the ground, knocking him unconscious. Gajeel then went over to Levy and cut her bonds. "You alright, Shrimp?" Levy managed a small nod, but her eyes were still full of fear. He saw this and quickly looked away, saying, "I'm sorry Lev. I really am. I ended up on the wrong side of that war." He stood up to go free Jet and Droy when he felt a small hand grab onto his shirt. He turned around and saw Levy sitting up, hand on his shirt, looking down.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Gajeel cocked his head. "I didn't trust you, and I should have, I'm so sorry. I wanted to believe, I swear, but after…" she trailed off and Gajeel just continued to look at her. He took her hand from his shirt and held it in between his two.

"I never should have done that. It haunts me day after day; I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep since then. It is my demon, one that I must face if I am to live with myself. It is not your fault." Levy stared at him and without warning wrapped him in a big hug.

"I forgive you, Gajeel. I really do. Let's start over, okay?"

Gajeel didn't move but simply said, "Sure thing, Shrimp. Now let's get outta here." He went over to Jet and Droy, cut their bonds, and slung them each over a separate shoulder and lead Levy out of the cave.

To say that Levy was flustered would be an understatement. Her face was a deep scarlet and her heart was racing. She kept thinking about their little exchange in the cave. She had hugged him, and the reason why was beyond her. _What possessed me to do that_ , she thought. _Could it be...never! It can't be! I refuse to accept it_. She lifted her head just enough to see him walking in front of her, a member of Shadow Gear slung over each shoulder like a sack of potatoes. As if Gajeel could feel her staring at him, he stopped and turned around to face her.

"You feeling alright there, Shorty?" he asked.

Levy looked down again and replied, "Um, y-yeah. I-I'm fine." Gajeel looked at her with extreme skepticism and cocked his head at her.

"You sure? You sure as hell don't look fine."

"I'm telling you, Gajeel, I'm fine." Gajeel shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He then turned on his heel and continued walking back toward the town, Levy in tow. She looked at her hand where the ring he had given her ensnared one of her fingers, glowing softly in the moonlight. She realized that he had given her this ring as a sign of friendship, and she had still been scared of him. But she was past that now, and looked forward to becoming the gruff Dragonslayer's friend. She knew that as long as she had that ring, she could trust him. A small smile touched the corner of her mouth at the realization.

As the pair arrived in town, they were greeted by the mayor and some of the town guard. Twenty or so men stood in anticipation, weapons in hand, ready to fend off whatever was to crawl out of the forest. The mayor wept for joy at the safety of the trio and thanked Gajeel endlessly for bringing them back. She gave Levy the reward and offered to take in Jet and Droy for the rest of the night. Gajeel handed them over to the guard, demanding that they be taken care of "better than the mayor here", jerking a thumb to the woman in charge. After their little welcome was over, Gajeel and Levy made their way to one of the local inns. They ate a quick dinner of bread and stew, and then they went to get a room. A sleepy innkeeper stood behind the counter, eagerly waiting for the duo to be done so that he could go to bed.

Levy and Gajeel walked over to him and Levy said, "Good evening. May we have a room please?" The innkeeper nodded groggily and handed them a key, pointing down the hall to the right.

"Third room on the left. That'll be 500 jewel." Levy nodded and paid the man and the two made their way to their room. When they opened the door however, they discovered that there was only one bed in the room.

Levy looked at Gajeel, who looked away and said, "Did you ask for two beds?" Levy shook her head.

"I thought it would be obvious. Two people, two beds. Unless…" she held the idea in, too embarrassed to see it as a possibility. Gajeel eyed her suspiciously.

"Well spit it out Shrimp, I ain't all night."

Levy paused a bit before finally saying, "Unless he thought we were together or something like that." Gajeel quickly looked away from her as his cheeks became hot.

The two stood in the room awkwardly for a while before Gajeel finally said, "You go ahead and take the bed, Shrimp. I'll go sleep at the stall by the forge."

Levy appeared shocked for a moment before recovering and saying, "A-are you sure? I could sleep on the floor-"

"Nah, you'd be too uncomfortable there. I'll go to the forge. Night." With that, he walked out the door, hand raised in farewell. Levy could only stare. Secretly, deep down inside, she knew that she wanted him to stay with her. But she didn't want to think that, so she was almost grateful for him leaving. Almost. She slid under the covers and let her mind wander. _I wonder if he'll get too cold out there_ , she thought.

Gajeel grumbled as he tried to make himself comfortable in the stall, rolling around on the ground. It was certainly chilly out, even though it was summer. Thankfully enough, he had his long overcoat that he wrapped himself in. He let his mind wander as he reflected over the day's events. He remembered Levy's hug, and his face turned a light shade of pink. For some reason, he wanted her to hug him again. He wanted her to hold him and never let go. He wanted to… he shook himself free of those thoughts. Why was he thinking like this? She had hated him only up till recently, why should he even care about her? Why was he feeling so weird? What was that feeling even called? He found himself searching for an answer when he heard soft, delicate footsteps approach. He sniffed the air and smelled ink, parchment, and strawberries. He knew that scent. It was Levy. The footsteps continued until they reached the stall, and then they stopped.

"Um, Gajeel?" came her soft voice. "I was worried that you might be cold, so I brought you some blankets." Gajeel stood up and leaned on the counter and looked at her, a smirk on his face. Her tiny arms were carrying several large wool blankets, and she looked so small in comparison. Gajeel had to admit, she looked kind of cute. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Oi, shrimp, come around here, will ya? You can put 'em over here." Levy nodded and walked around to the back where she dumped the blankets. She opened her mouth so speak but was cut off by Gajeel grabbing her wrist and pulling her down onto the small mound of blankets that she had just brought.

She squeaked and said, "Gajeel, w-what are you doing?"

Gajeel's smirk only grew wider and he said, "You thought that I might be cold. I am. And I need another person to warm me up. Night Lev."

He wrapped his arms around her and was immediately asleep. Levy just lay there, eyes wide open, too shocked to do anything. After a few minutes, her mind suddenly understood that she was laying in a sleeping Gajeel's arms, and she immediately started wriggling around in an attempt to escape. It was ultimately in vain, however, as Gajeel held her in a tight grip and although asleep had no intention of letting go. Levy, her face still a bright red, decided to just try to get some sleep and that she would yell at Gajeel the next morning. She lay her head down and closed her eyes, trying her best to get comfortable which she found to be easy due to the fact that Gajeel was beside her. As she slowly descended into the depths of sleep, she inched closer to Gajeel until she was right up against his chest. Her final thoughts before she dozed off were how maybe, just maybe, this wasn't so bad.

 **AN ~ Hey y'all, Eevee here! I'm, sooooo sorry that I haven't published anything in a while, but I'm knee-deep in the shitstorm known as exams. In fact, I feel kinda bad for this, but I'm writing this AN while my friend is sitting here waiting to study. Studying aside, expect more updates next weekend, maybe around Friday. Thanks a million!**


	4. Chapter 4

Levy woke to the birds singing. She blinked open her eyes and groaned as the sun poured into her eyes. She was warm. Very warm. And she did not want to get out of bed because of it. Suddenly, she remembered what happened last night and how she had gone to give Gajeel some blankets when he ambushed her and she fell asleep in his arms. She jolted up, fervently looking for him so she could pummel him. But instead of finding the smith's stall and Gajeel, she found herself back in her room at the inn. Was it all just a dream, she asked herself. She sat in her bed, slouched over just a bit, allowing herself to take in her surroundings and to think. Of course it was a dream. It had to be a dream. Levy smiled and hopped out of her bed and made for her door, intent on getting some breakfast before she went to check on Jet and Droy. After all, Gajeel would never do that to someone, right? He wasn't capable of feeling emotion like that, right? The question made her pause mid-stride. Or was he? Did Gajeel have some sort of feelings for her? The mere thought made her entire face go red as she became flustered. It was too much for her. There was no way that Gajeel had any feelings for her at all and he was just teasing her. Yes, that was it, teasing her. She continued out of her room and down the stairs. The inn's great room smelled of bacon and eggs, and her stomach rumbled. It was packed with people looking to get a quick bite before they went about their days, so all of the tables were full of people. However, across the room, she spied an empty seat, and she beelined for it. As she got closer, she could see a mug already on the table and a hand resting next to it. She slowed down a bit. She followed the hand up an arm and to the face. When she saw the face, though, she stopped dead in her tracks. For there, sitting at the table enjoying his morning drink, was Gajeel. He had a huge scowl on his face and was glaring at the table, seemingly trying to intimidate the drink that sat before him. Levy stood there, debating whether or not she could face him after her dream, but she soon realized that she didn't have a choice as he looked up and spotted her. The scowl fell from his face, appearing to take with it all the anger going through him, and was replaced with a giant smirk. Levy felt her face heating up and decided to just go over and have breakfast with him. She slid into the chair and tried her best not to look at Gajeel.

"Shrimp," Gajeel said whilst nodding in greeting, "Sleep well?" At this, Levy's face turned scarlet.

"I, um, I slept fine, Gajeel. I had the strangest dream, though," she squeaked out.

Gajeel's smirk only intensified as he asked, "About what?" Levy got the feeling that he knew something that she didn't, and so she thought about it for a minute. Gajeel never really cared about people, much less their emotions, so why would he care about a dream? Unless he cared about her. But maybe it wasn't a dream at all.

"Gajeel, can I ask you a really weird question?" Levy asked quietly. Gajeel nodded. "D-did I, um, you know, sleep with you last night?" Gajeel appeared momentarily stunned before he burst out in rancorous laughter.

"Did you, gihihihi, sleep with, gihihihihi, with ME?" he managed to get out between laughs. Levy's blush increased and she looked down, seeming to grow even smaller than she already was. Gajeel finished laughing and said, "No, you didn't sleep the whole night with me Shrimp." Levy's eyes widened.

"But that means I-" Gajeel cut her off, saying,

"Ya just fell asleep in my arms. I woke up a bit later and brought ya back here, no harm done." Levy just sat there in shock. "Come on now, Shrimp, I didn't mean to-"

"Why?" Levy blurted out without thinking. Now it was Gajeel's turn to be stunned. "Why did you do it? What in Fiore possessed you to do that to me?" Gajeel seemed hurt. Levy immediately regretted her questioning and decided to close her mouth before she hurt him more.

Gajeel's smirk faded into a small scowl, and he simply said, "I did it because I wanted to. Simple as that. Now get yourself some breakfast and go check on your boyfriends. I've got to work." With that, he drained his mug in one large gulp, set 30 jewel on the table for Levy and his drink, and left. Levy could only look on in astonishment, wondering what she had done to offend him so badly. She slid off the ring he had given her and let her fingers run over the intricate designs and patterns. Her thoughts were interrupted by the barmaid and she placed her order, sliding the ring back on.

Gajeel had never felt so cowardly in his life. He was Gajeel Redfox, Iron Dragonslayer of Fairy Tail, and he most certainly did not get scared. And yet, here he was, pissed at himself because he couldn't tell the little blue-haired mage how he felt. He had meant to say that he did it because he wanted to be with her, not because he just felt like it. Shaking his head, he sighed as he made his way to the smith's stall. He had decided, sometime in that cave, that what he felt for Levy was love. He didn't know why that was so, but the thought scared him. He knew that Levy would never, could never, love him back. Even though he had saved her countless times, she still had only a small amount of trust in him, and if he was to be honest with himself, that pissed him off. He shook himself free of his thoughts as he approached the smith's stall. He grabbed his black apron and put it on. The forgefire was still alive, but barely. Gajeel grabbed some more wood and threw it in, watching as it burst into flames. He shoveled some coals in, and let the fire do its thing while he went to set up the displays. Today was going to be a long day.

"How much for that gold necklace? The one with the pearl on it?" Gajeel opened the display case and picked up the necklace.

"This one?" he grunted. The woman smiled.

"That's it. How much for it?" Gajeel looked over his work and replied,

"Five hundred jewel." The woman appeared shocked.

"Five hundred jewel for that? That has to be a fake then. It's way too low."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and said, "It's not fake, I made it back there," he pointed to the forge, "this morning," he continued. "I can assure you it's real."

The woman seemed satisfied with his explanation and said, "Great! I'll take it." That was how most of Gajeel's day went. Customer after customer would be drawn in by his work, ask the price, accuse him of selling fakes, then happily get on their way. But even though he was making a ridiculous amount of money, he wasn't satisfied. He wanted to be with Levy, but he had a ton of work to do and after what happened this morning, he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to see him. Gajeel worked until the vendor announced that the market would soon be closing and that they should pack up. He thanked Gajeel profusely and handed him his paycheck: a promissory note with a major trading guild for 15,000 jewel. He smiled as he pocketed the money; it was going to cover his expenses for a long time. As soon as he could, he sped back to the inn he booked Levy's room at with the hopes of renewing it for himself; he assumed that Levy left with Jet and Droy earlier that day. He finally got to the inn, and he threw open the door. He walked up to the front desk and waited for the innkeeper.

When he finally came, he smiled at him and said, "Hello there. What can I do for you?"

"I rented room six yesterday and I want to rent it tonight, too."

"I'm sorry?"

"Room six. I want it tonight."

"I heard you, sir. But I thought that your wife came by earlier today and booked it again tonight." Gajeel's eyes widened. He shot the man a deadly glare, from which he seemed to shrink away.

"My wife?" His words were sharp.

The man gulped and said, "Yes, sir. The short woman with the blue hair?" Now Gajeel was pissed. Who the hell did this guy think he was?

"She's not my wife, or even my girlfriend. We're guildmates." Deciding he had enough, Gajeel spun around on his heel and made for the great room, the apologies of the innkeeper not reaching him. The great room smelled of all sorts of food, and Gajeel couldn't wait to eat. But it was the after-work dinner rush and all sorts of townspeople were at the inn, making finding a table hard. Gajeel made his way through the narrow gaps between chairs and benches, and finally got to the back of the room. He stood a good head taller than the average person, and so he swept over the crowd, searching for a place to just sit and eat. Not seeing anything, he was about to leave when he heard someone call his name.

"Gajeel!" He followed the sound of the voice and saw Levy, sitting at a small table in the corner, waving to him.

He slowly approached the table and Levy smiled at him, saying, "Have a seat." He noticed another chair sitting across from her, and so he plopped himself down in it.

"What's up, Shrimp?" She looked at him distastefully.

"I have a name, you know."

"Yeah, I do, but I like your nickname better." She puffed out her cheeks and pouted. The tips of Gajeel's ears turned pink. She looked so cute like that. A sudden thought struck him. "Wait, why didn't you leave with Jet and Droy?" Now it was Levy's turn to be embarrassed.

"Well, they awoke, but were still too weak to do anything, so Erza came up to collect them. I figured that they would be alright, and I thought you might get bored here with no one to talk to, so I stayed." A small smile touched the corners of her lips. Even though it was barely noticeable, to Gajeel, her face was radiant.

"You booked my room, too," Gajeel accused. Levy smiled sheepishly.

"Well, about that…" Gajeel leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we could, uh, we could both sleep in the room tonight?" Gajeel's other eyebrow shot up. Levy noticed this and her face flushed red. "Not like in the same bed or anything! Just, you know, like, in the same room? You could take the bed and I could sleep on the floor?" Gajeel shrugged.

"Sure. I don't have a problem with that." Levy seemed to calm down.

"Okay. Great. So," she picked up a menu, "wanna get something to eat?" Gajeel nodded and picked up his own menu. He couldn't be sure, but he thought that when he agreed to sleep in the inn, Levy was happy. The two continued talking about random topics that Levy enjoyed and Gajeel hated. But he didn't mind, because he was with her. He internally sighed as he realized that she probably didn't think of him as much more than a friend. Their food finally came, and the pair ate quickly.

After Gajeel paid, Levy stood up and said, "I'm gonna take a quick walk to help myself digest. Go on ahead and get ready for bed; I'll be back in ten minutes or so." Gajeel nodded and they both left the great room. He watched Levy walk out of the inn before continuing to the room. He changed into a pair of black cotton pants and a white t-shirt that left little to the imagination. He pulled his long black hair back into a ponytail and went about making a bed on the floor for himself with spare blankets and pillows. He then lay down on his bed and procured a small book and reading glasses from a pocket on the inside of his traveling coat. He turned one of the magic lamps on and quietly read.

Levy welcomed the freshness and small chill of the summer night's air. She took a deep breath and began walking. She had no particular destination in mind; she just needed to think. Earlier that day, she had sent for Erza to come and collect Jet and Droy and take them back to Fairy Tail. Then, with them out of the picture, she had gone and booked the room for another night. She had one reason in doing so: tonight, she was going to find out how Gajeel felt about her. She had accepted, earlier that day, that she was attracted to him, and set a plan in motion to find out if he liked her back. She just needed to keep her wits about her; Gajeel was quite the character, and he could easily ruin her plan without even knowing it. She reached the main road and decided she had come far enough. She began her walk back to the inn, thinking the whole time, _I hope this works_. Upon reaching the inn she slipped quietly in the door and made her way to the room. She was about to knock and enter to retrieve her things, but Gajeel was a step ahead of her; outside the door lay a neat pile of Levy's loungewear. She collected her clothes and changed in the restroom at the end of the hall. Satisfied, she went back to the room and knocked.

"Gajeel," she said, "I'm coming in." Silence. Levy, thinking there was something wrong, didn't wait for a reply and instead opened the door and walked both her surprise and relief, there was something wrong with what she say: Gajeel lay on a makeshift bed on the floor, reading. Levy was astonished. And impressed. Astonished that he liked to read and impressed that he could read. She had never really pegged him as the reading type but more of the brute force kind of guy. Gajeel, hearing the door open, looked up briefly from his book and grunted his greeting.

Levy, still not fully comprehending what was going on in front of her, asked, "Wait, Gajeel, you read?" He looked back up at her. She felt her face get hot as she felt his crimson red eyes on her from behind his glasses.

"Yeah. What about it?" Levy recovered from her initial shock and said sheepishly,

"Well, I had no idea someone like you would enjoy reading." A huge smirk flashed on Gajeel's face.

"And why's that?"

"Well, you just always seem to favor brute force to thinking, but I guess that's just because you're in Fairy Tail, isn't it?" Levy smiled at her own logic.

"S'pose you've got a point there, Shorty. Now lemme read." He went back to his book. Levy set her things on the floor on the side of the bed and sat cross-legged on top of it.

"What are you reading?"

"Oi, didn't I tell you to let me read in peace?" Levy puffed out her cheeks.

"Yeah, but I want to know what you like to read. It's really quite intriguing." Gajeel sighed and slipped a bookmark into the book.

"Fine, but you'd better not tell anyone, and I mean anyone, that I read. Particularly this. Got it?" Levy's head bobbed up and down. He held it up for Levy to see. It read _The Princess and the Dragon_. Levy's eyes widened. That was one of the most famous screenplays in Fiore. It was about a princess who got lost in the woods and lived with a friendly dragon she met. They fell in love, and after some trouble with the king and the royal armies, they lived happily ever after. It was a very touching story, one that Levy found herself reading whenever she was feeling down.

"Gajeel, you're reading _The Princess and the Dragon_?"

"Don't. Tell. Anyone."

"I won't, but it makes me really curious. Why are you reading it?" Gajeel's face turned a slight shade of pink.

"Because...I like it. It's a great story. What else is there to say?" Levy just sat there on the bed and stared at him. "What're ya looking at, Shrimp? Something on my face?" Levy shook herself.

"No, not at all. I was just thinking. Well, I'm going to bed. Do what you like." Levy extinguished the magic lamp and crawled under the covers. Gajeel, left without light, put his book and glasses back into his pocket. He pulled his covers up over himself and he settled in for a long night on the floor. Due to the floor's rough, hard texture and Gajeel's lack of blankets, he found himself not being able to sleep. No matter how much he tossed or turned, he just couldn't get comfortable. Then he heard Levy's small voice cut through the darkness.

"Gajeel?"

"What," he grumbled.

"Are you having a hard time sleeping down there?"

"Nah," he lied. "Besides, I've faced worse than this in my life." He was referring to his time in Phantom Lord, but he durst not say that around Levy.

"Gajeel, I know you're lying. Do you want to sleep in the bed with me?" Gajeel could feel his face burn hot in the darkness.

"Hell no! I'm fine right where I am."

"Why not? You slept with me last night."

"Did not. I just used you to warm myself until you fell asleep, and then I brought you back here. That's it, Shorty."

"Gajeel, why did you do it?"

"Are you talking about last night? I told you, because I just wanted to."

"Why did you want to?" Silence. Levy pressed on with her plan. "Why did you want to?" she asked again.

"I don't know, alright!"

"Is it the same reason why you saved me twice and gave me the ring?" Gajeel's words froze in his throat. Levy smiled as she realized her knockout blow left him speechless. _It's now or never_ , she thought. "Is it because you like me?" Again, silence. Gajeel was too embarrassed to say or do anything. He was trying with all his might to push out "no I don't" but he couldn't find the strength to lie to her. Suddenly, he heard a rustling from the bed, then the soft padding of footsteps as Levy made her way over to where he was sleeping. His dragon vision let him see her perfectly well at this distance, even though it was pitch black, and he saw her lay down next to him and slide her small hand into his big one. Her fingers intertwined with his, and he felt his own fingers wind with hers of their own accord. He felt the cold band of metal that trapped her ring finger. Levy giggled.

"Do you like me, Gajeel?" Gajeel finally mustered up the courage to speak.

"Damn it, Shrimp, you don't play fair." Levy giggled again.

"Well?" she asked. Gajeel sat up, and she followed suit. Their hands now lay intertwined on the floor between them.

"Look, Lev," Gajeel started, voice dark and serious. "Ever since that day when I hung you on the tree, I've regretted it. Even before I joined Fairy Tail, I knew that what I did was wrong. I still have nightmares about it, and I'll wake up with that image of your stomach and that damn symbol. It haunts me. It is my demon. And then when the old man picked me and Juvia up, well, I was pissed. I thought that he did it to make fun of me, or to use me, or to keep an eye on me so that I didn't bother him again. While he does use me, I don't mind. Because I heard things, Lev. Things about you. And I heard that I broke you. I heard that I knocked you down and you still haven't gotten back up. I heard that you've changed your daily routine just to avoid me because you can't trust me. And trust me, I totally get it. Yeah, over time, my admiration for you grew into love, and yeah, I went to that cave because I was worried about you. I love you Levy. But I know that you can't love me. And I've accepted that. After all I've done to you, I will not ever expect you to love me." Levy was shocked by the gravity of his words. She didn't know exactly what she had expected to hear, but that was most certainly not it. Her thoughts were pounding against her brain, begging to be heard, each one louder and more powerful than the last. If Gajeel really felt like this, he must be a wreck. To love the very person who you know you can't and shouldn't love; that is pain. But, she loved him back. She was sure of that. Her eyes were locked on Gajeel. They had adjusted to the darkness now, and she could see his face, wearing a pained expression, his eyes burning with self-loathing. She swung herself onto him so she was straddling his legs, separating their hands. Grabbing his face, she tilted his head up so they were eye to eye and said,

"Gajeel, I love you. Don't live in fear of your past, please. I don't want you to hurt anymore." Gajeel's eyes shone through the darkness. Suddenly, Levy closed her eyes and swiftly placed a kiss right on Gajeel's lips. She felt Gajeel's arms wrap around her waist and she broke the kiss. Gajeel wore his trademark smirk, but to Levy, he had never looked better.

"So," Gajeel said, "are we a thing now?" Levy felt a smile break out on her lips.

"I guess so," came her reply. Gajeel's face suddenly turned serious.

"Are you sure you want to love me? Even after what I did to you?" Levy nodded. Gajeel looked her over. Levy wrapped her arms around him and leaned into his ear.

"No matter what happens to me, I will always have you to protect me." She pulled back and held up her hand with the ring on it. "See? Even now, my mighty dragon protects me." Gajeel smiled. Levy stood up. "Well, Gajeel, I'm going to bed. Care to come with? It's probably more comfortable up there than down here." Levy slipped under the covers. Gajeel soon got up and followed suit. Suddenly, it was just the two of them together. Levy felt his arm creep around her waist and pull her in close.

"Goodnight Gajeel. I love you."

"Night Shrimp. Love ya too."

 **AN: Soooo, yeahhh, uhhhhhh...hi. Sorry I've been gone so long, but shit got really crazy 'round here and I got caught in the middle of it. Lots of football, lax, and tutoring kids. I've been busy. But, nonetheless, here's another chapter for y'all. Now, I know it probably sucked-like, a lot-but in my defense, that was my first time ever writing a confession like that. Ever. I think my intent when I wrote this was to show things from Gajeel's POV (which, I now realize, is so ridiculously OOC that I might just quit trying before I ruin him).**

 **Lax dropped off now, so I'll have some more time for writing this. Even though I've already written, like, 8-9 chapters for this, I got a genius idea (I don't mean to brag or anything) and now I have to go back, look through everything I wrote, and change it. Lots of work, but the end result should be great. And now I'm ranting. Great.**

 **What'd y'all think about this chapter? Drop a review! Don't forget to fav/follow! Thanks a ton!**

 **-Eevee**


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